Ejection seats currently being used in high performance military aircraft have been fabricated from bits and pieces of metal aircraft structure. The geometry of these seats is such that structural load paths are less efficient than in the aircraft structures which means that the present seats are not likely to be in the form of optimum seat structures. The present seat structures tend to be heavier than load considerations would indicate that they should be and the fabrication is very labor intensive so as to make the seats excessively costly.
Advances in tactical aircraft performance capability and tactics have led to an increase in the number of ejection related casualties and the recognition that a corresponding and improvement in ejection seat capability is needed in order to protect crew members from injury or death in emergency situations, as well as improve their ability to perform effectively under high inflight accerations.
Studies have demonstrated some of the possible improvements which could be made to ejection seats in terms of weight and increased operational capability. In order to achieve the required performance improvements, it becomes increasingly important to minimize the weight of the seat structure in order to help offset the added weight of other subsystems, such as propulsion and life support.
A search of the patent literature discloses a number of ejection seats having rocket attachments, as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,981,317, Cartwright, Jr. et al; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,083,938, Brinkworth et al; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,158,344, Koochembere; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,186,662, Martin; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,589, Mennborg; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,259,344, Thorp; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,516,098, O'Link; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,703, Stencel; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,632,159, Barceki; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,168, Eggert, Jr. et al; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,701,502, Martin; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,499, Stencel; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,191, Morton.